As the World Falls Down
by Shmeilia Rockie
Summary: Nothing ever happened on Tuesdays, especially in mid-August when it was too hot to enjoy sitting in the shade. Yet, on this otherwise uneventful Tuesday, everything changed for one mortal teen named Harper Finkle. And it would never be the same again.
1. Genesis

**As the World Falls Down**

Prologue: Genesis

* * *

It was Tuesday. Nothing ever happened on Tuesdays, especially in mid-August when it was too hot to enjoy sitting in the shade. Yet at 3:42, on this otherwise uneventful Tuesday, everything changed for one mortal teenaged girl named Harper Finkle. And it would never be the same again.

Ever since her best friend had told Harper she was a wizard in training, Harper had become used to living in the presence of magic. Her ex-crush was dating a vampire who was probably older than the pyramids? Sure, okay, no problem. Zombies crashed Prom? Rock on. But this? This was something new.

The change happened so subtly that at first she had hardly noticed it. When she got an odd feeling before the Russos left on vacation to the Caribbean, something in the back of her mind screamed in warning that their trip was going to be disastrous. She had shaken it off, but when Alex called her and told her in a hushed and hurried voice that she had almost destroyed her own family with an angry curse, the hairs on the back of Harper's neck stood up.

She had known. She had known when she most certainly shouldn't have. She was a mortal. Not a single drop of magical blood ran through her veins. It shouldn't have happened. It couldn't have happened. It couldn't.

So she told herself it was a coincidence, and ignored the building sense of dread in her gut.

The day Harper's life changed it was a lazy Tuesday afternoon, hotter than Heck with no relief in sight. Not a whisper of wind blew, not even a breath. The sun glared off the surrounding buildings, magnified by tinted glass and glittering on stone. And there, in the park one Tuesday, Harper Finkle's universe turned inside-out.

She didn't know it, but she was about to help save the world.


	2. Catalyst

**Catalyst**

**

* * *

**

Harper's ice cream scoop splattered onto the grass just beyond the edge of the blanket.

"So much for that," Harper said, her shoulders slumping. She tossed the empty cone over her shoulder, defeated.

Her boyfriend glanced at the mess on the ground and pouted for her loss. "Aw, that's a shame."

She threw her hair over her shoulder and crossed her arms. "It was starting to melt anyway."

"So is mine. Looks like we'll just have to share it. I mean, I'd hate for it to go to waste."

Against her will, the smile returned to her face. At times like these, she often wondered why she had wasted so much time running after Justin Russo when he obviously didn't return her feelings. Zeke always knew the right things to say to make her feel better. Always. He actually liked her for who she was, which was surprisingly refreshing. "We'd better do it quickly too, or your hands will get sticky."

"Wouldn't want that," he said, his voice low as he watched her timidly lick the melt off of his fingers.

Four months ago, Harper would have never seen herself doing this with anyone at all, let alone with Justin's goofy, sweet, all around wonderful best friend. And never mind in public. That Harper would have been scandalized by such behavior. But some time after Zombie Prom things had changed. It was him, she concluded just before their tongues met Lady and the Tramp style. She pulled away, blushing in the August heat. Her heart did a series of cartwheels and ended up somewhere near her collar bone.

He licked his lips slowly, his eyebrows creasing slightly together. "Something wrong?"

"First kiss," she managed to squeak out.

"Was it?" he asked, amused, before leaning forward to capture her mouth again. His tongue was cold and tasted of chocolate and mint, and for a brief, eternal moment the heat didn't bother her a bit. The park disappeared; only the two of them exsisted in the whole world. Them, the kiss, and the ice cream.

Delicious.

This couldn't have been real. Surely, she must have been dreaming. Any moment, her alarm would go off, leaving only a ghost of a taste in her mouth to remind her of how fantastic this was.

But it didn't. Much to her relief, she opened her eyes to find Zeke grinning at her in that adorable way that made her want to do leap for joy. He was smiling for her. No, because of her. She'd made him smile.

Abruptly, the moment turned from a dream into a nightmare. A pulse spasmed through her, shaking her down to the bone. Light flooded her senses. The world went deathly silent. She couldn't breathe; all the air had been sucked out of her.

Zeke was at her side speaking frantically to her, but she couldn't hear him. People were gathering to stare at her.

Far away, she felt her lips moving. Words resonated from deep inside of her chest, trying to rip their way out of her.

All the while, the light grew brighter, until the only thing she saw was a brilliant white glow.

Then, suddenly, it was over. The haze lifted. Somewhere in the distance, a dog was barking.

"Harper?"

Her head whipped in Zeke's direction. She'd never seen him so afraid, not even when surrounded by hungry zombies. She stared at him hard, her mind reeling. "I said something, didn't I?"

He nodded.

"What was it?"

He swallowed hard, unable find his voice. "Something about darkness coming."

She clambered to her feet, ignoring her boyfriend's attempts to help her stand. "I've got to get to the Sub Station. Like, right now."

"What? Why?"

"I've got to tell them," she said distractedly, waving him off. Still shaking, she began stumbling in Waverly Place's general direction. "They need to know."

"Harper, I think you need to go to the hospital or something."

"No!" She turned to face him, almost falling over in the process. "No, I need to speak with Mister Russo. This is really, really urgent."

He studied her eyes for a long time before simply nodding. "I'm coming with you."

She wanted to protest, but she just didn't have the strength to do so.

* * *

Alex Russo's mind was somewhere other than the Waverly Sub Station. It was on the battlefield again, under a lavender sky, near the ancient stones that grew out of the grass like trees. And, mostly, it was on the feeling of being so powerfull and yet still utterly powerless to stop everything from unraveling. She had come so close to... She almost lost...

No. She wouldn't think about that. Everything was fine now. Everyone was okay. She'd managed to undo the damage at the last moment. No, that wasn't entirely true. Her mother had undone the damage, and didn't even remember what had happened.

At least something good had come from it. She felt closer to her two brothers now than she ever had before the fateful vacation. Her relationship with Justin in particular seemed to have changed the most. Somewhere between the chasm and the vortex their understanding of one another had cemented into a sibling bond stronger than she ever could have imagined.

She knew now that she needed him. He was her anchor, her rock. And nothing would ever change that.

Slipping from behind the bar, she quietly climbed the spiral stairs to the apartment above the restaurant. Nobody noticed her leave; the heat had driven many people indoors seeking air conditioning, so the place was much more crowded than usual.

In the semi-darkness of her room, she opened the bottom drawer of her dresser. Inside, under a stack of unmentionables, was a simple wooden jewelry box her grandmother gave her after her Quinceanera. And inside of that... She trailed her fingers over the box's lid, willing herself not to open it. Even from the outside, she felt its steady, reassuring power.

"What is wrong with me?" she asked in frustration, chucking the box aside. For good measure, she covered it with a pillow. "Why did you have to come back?"

It didn't answer her.

She grunted. "This isn't fair, you know."

Somehow, from the silence, she knew it knew. It was there for a reason, but whatever it was, it wasn't telling her.

* * *

When Zeke escorted Harper into the shop, Jerry knew immediately that something was wrong. Pale and trembling, the girl could barely stand on her own. He wiped his hands on a towel and immediately emerged from the kitchen to greet her.

"Mister Russo! I need to- Something has- I had a-"

"Calm down," he instructed her, herding her to an open bar stool. "Why don't you sit down and take a few deep breaths for me?"

"No time," she said, but sat down anyway.

By this time, Theresa had also noticed Harper's condition. "What happened?"

Harper opened her mouth, but immediately closed it again. "Could I get a glass of water? Please?"

"Sure, honey. I'll be right back."

"Thank you." She leaned her head on her arms for a moment, trying to calm her breathing. "I really don't think we should be talking about this here."

Jerry nodded. "All right, how about we go upstairs?"

Theresa returned with the drink almost immediately. "Max and I will watch the shop, don't worry."

With an apologetic look, the three climbed the stairs. Alex met them at the door, shocked by her best friend's appearance. "Harper! What's wrong?"

"I... I was at the park with Zeke..." She gestured weakly toward her boyfriend, who still hadn't left her side. "And, well..."

The two exchanged glances. Finally, Zeke cleared his throat. "She gasped and kind of... Fell over, clutching her chest. She wouldn't respond when I called her name. It was like she couldn't hear me. Her pupils got really big and she started talking in this freaky voice..."

"I couldn't see. I couldn't hear. Everything was white. I felt a strong urge to come here and tell you about it, like it was life or death."

Alarmed, Jerry steered the three teens to the couch. "Do you know what you said?"

"No. Zeke said it was something about darkness coming."

Jerry suddenly remembered that the boy was clueless about magic. "Hey, Zeke, Justin's with Juliet down at the Late Nite Bite. Can you find him and tell him his break is over? He really needs to come home now."

Reluctantly, he stood. "Are you going to be okay, Harper?"

"I think so," she said, smiling at his concern. She squeezed his hand. "Mister Russo will take care of me."

After he had gone, Jerry turned to his only daughter. "Alex, go down to the Lair and look for a book labled 'Divination'. It's a thick book, kind of old, with metallic purple writing on the spine."

"Thick, old, purple. Got it." She rushed out of the room, mumbling "Divination... Divination... Digination..." under her breath.

"What's wrong with me?" Harper asked meekly.

He sighed. "I think you might have made some sort of prophesy."

"But how is that possible? I'm just a mortal, right?"

"You're as mortal as Theresa is."

"So then-?"

"I don't know, but I intend to find out."


	3. Prophesy 101

**Prophesy 101**

**

* * *

**

Alex ran her fingers over the volumes of dusty books, surprised she'd never looked at them before. She wasn't really a big reader, unless indulging in the occasional comic book was considered reading. As far as magic was concerned, the only book she'd ever intentionally cracked open was the Forbidden Spellbook. And that turned out so well.

These had titles like _42 Magical Herbs_ and _Mind Games: Learn to guard your thoughts against invasion_.

She couldn't help but wonder if Justin had read them all.

At last, she found it on the bottom shelf. She had long since forgotten the title, but she had remembered her dad said it had metallic purple writing on the spine and this was the only one that fit the description. It was a heavy book, dusty with time and disuse. "Divination", she read from the cover. "The art of foreseeing and interpreting the future."

She flipped to a random page, only to be taken aback at a large, detailed drawing of a man holding up what appeared to be someone or something's intestines. "Oh, goodness gracious!" She yelped, almost dropping the book. After recovering from the initial shock, she tilted her head at the caption under the illustration. "The entrails of a _what_?"

She sat down, compelled to keep reading.

And that's where her father and Harper found her, twenty minutes later.

Jerry stopped to savor the moment. "Look, Alex is reading."

Alex's face twitched into a sneer. "Why does everybody act like it's such a big deal? I mean, seriously, all the time."

"Maybe that's because you don't do it unless you absolutely have to?" Harper suggested, trying to see over the top of the book. "What's got you so captivated?"

"Roman Soothsaying. It's totally gory and barbaric and awesome!"

"Can we please try to focus here?" Jerry asked.

With a roll of her eyes, she handed over the book. "Fine."

"Thank you." He opened it to the index and scrolled down the list with his finger. "Prophesy, prophesy... Here we are. There are two major types: Seeing and Speaking. I'm guessing you have the latter."

Harper sat down on the couch next to Alex. "Yeah, I definitely didn't see anything."

"Okay, Speaking it is..." He read the passage to himself. "'A young wizard may come into speaking prophesy seemingly at random. The symptoms include dizziness, feelings of suffocation, black or white-outs, and temporary loss of hearing during the event. Never does the Speaker know what he or she is saying. No prophesy is made when the Speaker is alone; there will always be a Listener to hear his or her words.' After that it lists names of famous Speakers and so forth.... This is interesting. 'After the quiet death of Lady Guinevere, no Speakers have made their talents known to the general public. The gift seems to have died with her."

Alex waved a hand to capture her father's attention. "Wait a minute. Are we talking about Queen Guinevere? As in King Aurthur's wife?"

"Apparently, yes. She was said to have Spoken of the fall of Camelot to her lover Sir Lancelot a few weeks before the War started."

"Ooh, are you talking about Aurthurian Legend?" Juliet asked as she entered the Lair. "I was there, you know. I saw everything."

"Really?" Harper asked, her eyes wide.

"Yep, and I can tell you that almost everything you'll ever read about it is completely wrong."

Jerry cut in before the conversation could digress any more. "Where's Justin?"

"With Zeke. I think they went out for a walk-and-talk." She put her hands on her hips. "You know, Harper, I've got to give your boyfriend some credit; he's refusing to go home until he knows for sure you're okay."

"Aww, how sweet. Did you hear that?" Alex asked, nudging Harper with her elbow. Cupping her hand around her mouth, she whispered loudly, "I think you should keep him."

"I think I will, thanks," Harper whispered half-heartedly back.

"Ahem," Jerry said. "Getting back on topic now."

"Sorry, Dad."

"Yeah, sorry, Mister Russo."

"Juliet, have you ever heard of a mortal speaking prophesy?"

She chewed on her bottom lip for a moment before she shook her head. "I don't think that should technically even be possible. It requires a fair amount of power."

"And we're back to square one," Jerry said, throwing his free hand into the air. "Hey, does Harper smell magical to you in any way?"

The vampire grabbed a hand full of Harper's hair and sniffed it. "No, not like a wizard... But I do smell something different. It's really faint..." She sniffed again, ignoring the look of horror on Harper's face. "Lilac... And brine, like the Mediterranean Sea... Slightly waxy..."

"But it's not a mortal smell?"

"Not really. I honestly don't know what it is."

"Can I have my hair back now?" Harper asked, wincing.

"Right. Sorry." Juliet let go. "Maybe that's the Speaker smell? I mean, I don't recall ever smelling it on Milady, but then again it could have easily been buried under the wizard scent. It is extremely weak."

Alex gave Juliet an incredulous and slightly suspicious look. "Milady?"

"Oh, sorry. Habit. I meant Queen Guinevere. I was one of her handmaidens, back in the day."

"So you really do have the good dirt on that story, don't you?"

"You have no idea."

Jerry rubbed his eyes. "I swear, you put three girls in a room and all they want to do is gossip."

"Not me, I'm done," Harper said, standing suddenly. Usually, this kind of weirdness didn't bother her. But then again, usually the weirdness didn't directly involve her. She felt like she'd been hit with a truck and the vampire chick was talking about how she'd been BFFs with Queen Guinevere in the Dark Ages, or what_ever_, and it was all too much. Just too, too much. "Since we're all obviously stumped, I say we all go about our business and pretend none of this ever happened. It was probably just a weird fluke or something anyway."

"There are no flukes in magic, Harper."

"But I'm not magical! Okay? I'm mortal. My parents are mortal, and so are my grandparents and their parents. So can we please just forget about it?"

"Yes, let's," Alex said stiffly, taking her friend by the arm. Judging by the panic in her eyes, Harper figured she must have been shouting. "Why don't we go back to the shop? You should finish your date with Zeke. That's a nice, normal activity, right?"

"But what do I tell him? He probably thinks I'm a nut case."

"Blame it on the heat. Come on."

"Seriously?"

"Dude, you can fry an egg on the sidewalk. It's not that much of a stretch."

Juliet waited until the door sealed shut, cutting off the sound of their voices. "This is pretty bad, isn't it?"

"She predicted darkness."

"I assume that doesn't mean we're going to have rain tomorrow."

Jerry snapped the book closed. "I'm afraid it's a tad more serious than that."


End file.
